PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JANUARY 26, 2010

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000184

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JANUARY 26, 2010

Summary: Coverage of the Trilateral Summit in Istanbul dominated
media on Tuesday morning. Newspapers focused on President Zardari's
statement that the Government of Pakistan is willing to talk to
Taliban who are "reconcilable" and "want to give up their way of
life." Several dailies reported General McChrystal's hope that the
troop surge would weaken the Taliban enough to force its leaders to
accept a peace deal, and General Petraeus' statement that any Afghan
can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past."
"Daily Times" reported that Senator Lieberman and Ambassador Haqqani
will announce on Wednesday Pakistan's exemption from additional
airport screening measures. Urdu dailies "Express," and "Islam,"
reported that the U.S. Embassy spokesman denied reports that
Blackwater has trained the Pakistani Prime Minister's security
personnel. The papers also corrected a story (published on 1/25)
that claimed the U.S. Mission imported 3000 bullet-proof vests for
its employees. All major dailies highlighted reports that Pakistan
ruled out global negotiations to ban the future production of
nuclear material given the "clear and present danger" from a
nuclear-armed India. Both electronic and print media also reported
execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's notorious
henchman "Chemical Ali". Reconciliation with the Taliban was also
the subject of several editorials today that focused on U.S.
willingness to talk to Afghan Taliban, while pressing Pakistan to
open new military fronts against the Pakistani Taliban. The
editorials questioned what effects a reconciliation policy would
have on Pakistani security. Headlines include: "Turnaround on
Taliban" ("The Nation"),"NATO Commander's Suggestion of Talks with
the Taliban: This Is the Best Time to Withdraw U.S Troops from the
Region" ("Nawa-i-Waqt"); and "Could the Taliban Reconcile with
Kabul?" ("The News"). End Summary.

TOP STORIES

News Story: Istanbul Summit Reiterates Pledge To Counter Terror -
"The News" (01/26)

"President Asif Ali Zardari said Monday the Pakistan government
would be willing to talk to the people who want to give up their way
of life and are reconcilable. President Zardari was answering
questions at a joint news conference with Presidents Abdullah Gul of
Turkey and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan on the conclusion of 4th
Trilateral Summit in Istanbul among them. In a joint declaration
after the parleys, the three countries reiterated their
determination to tackle terrorism in all its forms and importance of
enhancing indigenous capacities to that effect."

News Story: Taliban Leaders May Join Afghan Govt.: U.S. - "Dawn"
(01/26)

"The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said in an interview
published on Monday that senior Taliban leaders could join a new
government in Kabul. Although U.S. leaders started talking publicly
about including the Taliban in a political solution earlier this
month, Gen. Stanley McChrystal went a step ahead when he spoke of
also accepting senior Taliban leaders in a possible new
arrangement."

News Story: Afghanistan Will Take Longer Than Iraq: Petraeus - "The
Nation" (01/26)

"The new American-led surge in Afghanistan will take longer to fight
the insurgency than a similar injection of force in Iraq three years
ago when violence fell sharply within months, the top U.S. General
in the region told 'The Times.' General David Petraeus, the head of
Central Command, also warned that the fight in Helmand province,
Afghanistan, where British and U.S. forces are based, as well other
areas, would become even tougher before the situation improved."

News Story: "Blackwater Didn't Train PM's Security Staff: U.S.
Embassy - "Express" (01/26)

"The U.S. Mission in Islamabad on Monday clarified that it has
imported 3,000 bullet-proof jackets to improve the performance of
the NWFP Police which would be handed over to the provincial
government within the next 15 days. Talking to the wire service,
'Online', U.S. Embassy spokesperson, Richard Snelsire, said that
American trainers, not the Blackwater, had imparted training to
Prime Minister's security staff. He added that the news published in
a section of the Pakistani media, in which it was claimed that the
U.S. Embassy had imported bullet-proof jackets for its own security
personnel, is false."

News Story: Pakistan May Be Excluded From Search List - "Dawn"
(01/26)

"U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Committee on
Governmental Affairs, and Ambassador Husain Haqqani are expected to
announce on Wednesday Pakistan's removal from a list of countries
earmarked for additional security."

News Story: Pakistan Rejects Atom Bomb Material Cut-Off Talks -
"Daily Times" (01/26)

"Pakistan, citing a "clear and present danger" from its
nuclear-armed rival India, ruled out on Monday global negotiations
to ban the future production of material to make atomic bombs.
Confirming a Reuters report from January 22, Pakistan's ambassador
to the UN in Geneva, Zamir Akram, said such a treaty would leave
Pakistan - the most recent member of the nuclear club - at a
permanent disadvantage."

TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES

News Story: Obama Aide Also Wants Pakistan To 'Do More' - "Daily
Times" (01/26)

"U.S. President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser on Monday
called for Pakistan to show greater urgency in the fight against
extremism and pledged that Washington was committed for the long
haul. Retired General James Jones said Pakistan's role is critical
for the region's future, as the U.S. is pouring thousands of troops
into Afghanistan to fight Al Qaeda and other militants. 'It is
beyond question that the speed with which we're able to achieve our
goals in Afghanistan has a relationship with the willingness of
Pakistan to take on the fact that safe havens exist in the border
region,' Jones said at the Centre for American Progress, a
think-tank."

News Story: Taliban Reward Fighter For 'Shooting Down U.S. Drone' -
"The News" (01/26)

"The Taliban in North Waziristan on Monday rewarded one of their
fighters with a new model car for shooting down the US drone on
Sunday evening. Also, government officials in the restive tribal
region finally confirmed the downing of the U.S. spy aircraft by the
Taliban militants. The militants led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur claimed
shooting down the drone in Hamzoni village on Sunday."

News Story: Pak-Afghan-U.S. Flag Meeting Held - "The News" (01/26)

"The monthly tripartite flag meeting of Pakistani, Afghan and U.S.
military officials was held on Monday at the Shiraz U.S. base camp
in Afghanistan. The meeting, which lasted for two and a half hour,
discussed the border security and legal mobility across the border,
official sources said."

News Story: Second Line Of Defence In Afghanistan U.S., U.K. Deploy
Arabs And Asians - "Pakistan Observer" (01/26)

"The United States and United Kingdom are increasing employing Arabs
and Asians to work as a second-line of defence in Afghanistan
through unpublished deals and private recruitment contracts. The
U.S. armed forces newspaper, 'Star and Strips' on Monday (January
25) reported that 'security forces men from Bahrain are among 125
troops from the Muslim nations deployed in Helmand province,'
Afghanistan."

News Story: Airstrikes Kill 23 Taliban in Bajaur, Kurram - "Daily
Times" (01/26)

"Security forces on Monday backed by fighter jets and helicopter
gunships targeted Taliban strongholds across the country's
northwest, killing 23 terrorists in the Kurram and Bajaur agencies,
according to sources."

News Story: Karzai Wants Taliban Off UN Blacklist - "Dawn" (01/26)


"Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday he would press for
Taliban names to be removed from a UN blacklist, as he sought
support for his country in talks with the leaders of Pakistan and
Turkey."

News Story: UN Seeks To Drop Some Taliban Leaders - "The Nation"
(01/26)

"As the United Nations Organisation seeks to drop some Taliban
leaders from terrorists list, sources said Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil,
Abdul Salim Zaeef and Gulbadeen Hikmatyar were among those expected
to be cleared, well-informed diplomatic sources told 'The Nation' on
Monday."

News Story: Malik Again Says No To Talks With Terrorists - "Daily
Times" (01/26)

"Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Monday said that terrorists'
plans to destabilize the country had been foiled with successful
military operations. Talking to journalists in Peshawar he said
there will be no talks with terrorists. The government will launch
operation against them wherever they will be found in the country."


POLITICAL ISSUES

News Story: London Conference Tomorrow; Stakeholders Realise Role
For Good Taliban In Future Set-Up - "The News" (01/26)

"As preparations for Wednesday's London conference on Afghanistan
gain momentum, authoritative voices are ensuring that a role for the
Taliban in a future political set-up is ensured, as there is a full
realization now that only a 'military surge' will not deliver at a
time when the Taliban are heady with power. As negotiations continue
with the Taliban, sources in Kabul say this is one reason that polls
have been delayed inside Afghanistan. Recently, U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Robert Gates, during
their visits to Pakistan, had envisaged a role for 'reformed' or
'good' Taliban, who were willing to enter the democratic process,
abide by the Afghan constitution and accept the Karzai government."

News Story: Pakistan Acts To Counter Indian Influence In Afghanistan
- "Daily Times" (01/26)

"Pakistan has successfully mobilized the defunct six-plus-two talks
formula to counter the U.S. pressure regarding giving India a
'greater role' in war-torn Afghanistan's rehabilitation.
Afghanistan's immediate neighbors - Pakistan, Iran, China,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the U.S., are meeting today
(Tuesday) in Turkey to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to
take stock of measures for the restoration of peace in the country."


News Story: Protesting Cops Paralyze Life In Quetta - "The News"
(01/26)

"Life was paralyzed in the provincial capital on Monday when
hundreds of policemen staged a sit-in outside the Chief Minister
Secretariat, demanding of the government to accept their demands,
including hike in salaries. Reports of similar demonstrations by
policemen were also received from other districts of the province.
The protesters in Quetta blocked important roads and highways and
burnt tyres. There were some reports about aerial firing in some
localities of the city."

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

News Story: UN-Govt. Row May Disrupt Aid Plan - "Dawn" (01/26)

"Wrangling between the government and the United Nations over a $500
million aid plan may adversely affect the flow of humanitarian aid
for 1.2 million displaced people in the NWFP and FATA. The
government's consent for the UN's 'Pakistan Humanitarian Response
Plan (PHRP) 2010' has been held up because of differences between
the two over transparency and operational matters."

News Story: Qureshi in Dubai For FoDP Meeting - "The News" (01/26)

"The Foreign Minister arrived in Dubai on Monday for participation
in the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) moot to be held there
on Tuesday (today).... Meanwhile the foreign Office spokesperson
Abdul Basit expressing his optimism over the success of Friends of
Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) meeting said Pakistan would invite
investors of Corporate and Private Sectors to visit Pakistan."
News Story: Donors Slow In Releasing Project Aid - "The News"
(01/26)

"Slow disbursement (up to only 25 per cent) of project aid from
multilateral and bilateral donors has hampered work on the
foreign-funded development projects in the areas of power sector and
earthquake reconstruction during the current fiscal year, official
documents available with 'The News' reveal."

News Story: Pak To Enrich Uranium For Nuclear Power Plants -
"Pakistan Observer" (01/26)

"The government has decided to enrich uranium for use of existing
and future nuclear power plants and to this effect Executive
Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) that met here
recently accorded approval to Nuclear Fuel Enrichment Plant Project
at a cost of Rs 14.247 billion, a senior official at PAEC (Pakistan
Atomic Energy Commission) told 'Pakistan Observer.'"

News Story: Govt. To Reduce Uplift Budget By 30pc - "Dawn" (01/26)

"The government has decided to reduce the current year's development
budget by another 30 per cent to about Rs300 billion because of
additional expenditure on security and power sector subsidies.
Sources said the ministry of finance had conveyed to the Planning
Commission and the ministries concerned. The issue is likely to be
taken up by the Federal Cabinet on Wednesday."

EDITORIALS/OPINIONS

Editorial: Turnaround on Taliban, an editorial in the center-right
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (01/26)

"While the U.S. and U.K. are evolving strategies to talk to the
Taliban in Afghanistan, the top UN Envoy in Afghanistan has urged
Afghan officials to seek removal of senior Taliban leaders from the
UN terror list; and the U.S. to review the detention of 750 Bagram
prisoners - a major grievance of the Taliban. So is the ground being
prepared for a U.S.-Taliban dialogue and will Pakistan once again be
left with the destructive remains of a failed U.S. policy?"

Editorial: NATO Commander's Suggestion Of Talks With The Taliban:
This Is The Best Time To Withdraw U.S Troops From The Region, an
editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (01/26)

"NATO Commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal has stressed
on the need for peace talks with the Afghan Taliban for peace in the
region.... If the U.S. itself is running away from this war and
coming towards talks with the Taliban, what is stopping us from
doing the same?... If the tribesmen can shoot down a drone, our Air
Force has the full capability of doing the same."

Editorial: The Social Cost Of War Against Militancy, an editorial in
the country's premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir.
25,000) (01/26)

"Terrorist attacks have traumatized the whole nation. The
psychological impact of bomb blasts and the killing of relatives and
friends leaves a deep imprint, particularly on children's minds,
which they will carry with them for years to come. The incidents
cause physical, emotional disruptions, commonly referred to as
post-traumatic stress disorder and its treatment, often spread over
years, is highly costly. Pakistan can ill afford such a situation.
In the case of the U.S., which has conducted wars of aggression in
Iraq and Afghanistan, the problem involves only a few thousand
veterans. In our case, those affected include both civilians and
military personnel. Unless treated properly, thousands of people
with personality disorders, developed during the ongoing war on
militancy, will continue to pose a threat to themselves, their
families and the rest of society. Unless there is widespread
awareness about the problem, this could pose a danger to society."

Editorial: The Need To Resolve Indo-Pak Disputes Through Talks, an
editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (01/26)

"U.S. Defense Secretary has added to his complicated statements by
saying that that neither India nor Pakistan consider mediation [in
bilateral disputes] acceptable.... This means that Pakistani
leaders' repeated statements urging the U.S. to mediate in resolving
Indo-Pak disputes actually have no value in America's eyes....


Indian sincerity and interest in the matter can also be gauged from
the fact that instead of holding talks to improve the climate, they
are insisting [on Pakistan] to improve the situation before talks
are held.... The fact is that every year, India and Pakistan buy
arms worth billions from the U.S. and other developed countries.
Hence, mediation followed by a substantial improvement in [Indo-Pak]
ties would translate into a loss for [western] weapon factories....
It is India and Pakistan's responsibility to focus on resolving
their disputes, decrease reliance on developed countries and divert
money from buying arms to public welfare."

Editorial: Increase In India's Water Aggression, an editorial in the
second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000)
(01/26)

"Pakistan's agriculture is threatened with severe losses due to
India's theft of 50 thousand cusec water from Pakistan's important
river Chenab through pumps.... Already the waters of rivers Jhelum
and Indus are being misappropriated [by India].... In the face of
this increasing water aggression by India, the attitude of Pakistani
Indus Water Commissioner is apologetic and criminal. He resorts to
knocking on IMF and World Bank doors whenever domestic pressure
increases. However, as these two donors have invested in India's
illegal dams - Baglihar, Wullar, and Kishen Ganga -- they will
neither support Pakistan, nor decide in its favor, fearing loss of
their investment. In the present circumstances, there is no need to
be cordial with India."

Editorial: Israeli Intransigence, an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(01/26)

"While there is not much new in Sunday's declaration by the Israeli
prime minister that his country will retain - read annex - parts of
the West Bank, what is striking is the categorical tone that was
adopted. With America's special envoy George Mitchell in Israel,
Benjamin Netanyahu said words that deserve to be quoted for their
hubris: Our message is clear. We are planting here, we will stay
here, we will build here.... What is shocking, however, is the
American administration's surrender to the powerful Israel lobby in
America, notwithstanding President Barack Obama's declaration in his
June 4 speech to the Muslim world that settlement activity must come
to a halt."

Opinion: Obama's Changing Tone, an op-ed by Shahid Javed Burki in
the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily
"Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (01/26)

"A good part of the debate in the US as President Barack Obama was
deciding on a strategy to fight the Islamic militants operating in
the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan was concerned with
giving more weight to economic development in winning the war
against the extremists. If economic deprivation was a powerful
reason for the extremists to fight the West and simultaneously the
Afghan and Pakistani states then that is where the bulk of the
effort has to go."

Opinion: Could The Taliban Reconcile With Kabul?, Opinion: an op-ed
by Rahimullah Yusufzai in the populist, often sensational national
English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (01/26)

"All who matter in Afghanistan are talking about reconciliation with
the Taliban, but on the Afghan government's terms. Strangely enough,
though, the offers of peace talks are being made at a time when
37,000 fresh U.S. and NATO troops are on their way to the country in
a desperate attempt to bring the conflict to a military end. This is
a turnaround from statements from Western capitals in the past that
the Taliban are terrorists and not worthy of being engaged in
political talks or reconciliation.... On the other hand, the
Taliban, who won't give up the fight easily after their sustained
resistance against a formidable enemy for so long, demand that all
foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan and without any agreement
on the country's future and its system of government. So it would be
naove to assume that the Taliban would cut a deal with the U.S. and
its partners under pressure from Pakistan on terms that are more
favorable to Islamabad than to their leader Mullah Mohammad Omar....
Pakistan will have to be careful not to argue the cause of the
Afghan Taliban to such an extent that it leads to the strengthening
of the Pakistani Taliban, because the links between these two
militant groups cannot be broken easily. It is ironic that the West
is keen to promote reconciliation and political dialogue with the
Afghan Taliban while insisting on the military defeat of the
Pakistani Taliban."

Opinion: The Real Problem In Afghanistan, an op-ed by Mohammad Jamil
in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer"
(cir. 5,000) (01/26)

"The U.S. and the West already blame Pakistan for all their 'woes'
in Afghanistan whereas in fact the U.S., NATO and Afghan forces with
all the arsenal and the best machine at their disposal have not been
able to control more than 40 per cent of Afghanistan.... The problem
is that the international community has been found wanting in
delivering on its promises to the post-Taliban Afghanistan. It
failed to disarm militias and the country remained awash with
illegal weapons.... The Yemen meeting will be followed on Thursday
by a bigger, higher-level conference to which 68 countries have been
invited and which will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The talks will
focus on how to tackle extremism in Yemen and how to stabilize
Afghanistan through political as well as military means. But this is
an exercise in futility, as things in Afghanistan can only improve
when the U.S. and the West address Pakistan's concerns, otherwise
they can never win the war or bring peace at least in Afghanistan."


Opinion: U.S. And Pakistan, Strange Allies, an op-ed by Dr. Huma Mir
in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer"
(cir. 5,000) (01/26)

"Despite having suffered the most due to the U.S. adventure in
Afghanistan, Pakistan today remains the most vibrant and loyal U.S.
ally.... U.S. has been persistently demanding from Pakistan to shun
its traditional threat perception and shift additional troops from
Indo Pak border to the Afghan border to battle the Taliban
extremists in North Waziristan. The U.S. wants to use Pakistani
forces as bait, U.S. planners visualize that Pakistani action in
North Waziristan could draw Taliban fighters from Afghanistan thus
relieving the pressure there on U.S. and NATO forces while Pakistan
executes its dirty work.... Will the Pakistani assault provide any
relief to the Western Forces in Afghanistan or will it confirm the
Pakistani viewpoint that the Afghan problem needs an Afghan
solution. Demonizing Pakistan won't win the war for the Western
Forces in Afghanistan."

Opinion: A Culture Of Militancy, an op-ed by Mazhar Abbas in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (01/26)

"From the bustling, congested markets of Karachi, where violence is
endemic in all its myriad forms, to Peshawar and Quetta, videos and
audio messages of 'martyrs', and sermons and statements that glorify
terrorism as jihad have been sold freely for decades. These have
come to be a sad source of inspiration for the youth and have
promoted the hate culture that has gripped our society today.... As
the government strives towards strengthening the tenets of secular
education and boosting social welfare policies, the sale of hate
material must be made a punishable act."

Opinion: FMCT And Strategic Stability, an op-ed by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi
in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News"
(cir. 55,000) (01/26)

"Pakistan's present position on the negotiating process stems from
the concern that, as currently envisaged, the proposed treaty could
upset the strategic equilibrium in the region by limiting its
deterrent capability at a time when India has been offered other
means to escape a similar cap on the size of its nuclear arsenal.
Two developments, in particular, have changed Pakistan's threat
perceptions, and they have a bearing on its position on the FMCT.
The first is the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement and the
consequent NSG waiver that has allowed India to conclude agreements
with countries, including Russia and France, to supply it with
nuclear fuel.... Together with the NSG exemption, this places India
in a position to increase its fissile material stocks qualitatively
and quantitatively. It will be able to divert, if it wants to, most
of its indigenous stocks to its weapons program.... The FMCT
negotiations still have many issues to iron out, including the scope
of the treaty, definition of fissile material and verification
procedures. But for substantive progress the process will require
getting Pakistan on board in a forum that works on the principle of
consensus. This will depend on how Pakistan's principal concern can
be addressed: that the treaty should not become a vehicle to
constrain its strategic deterrence capability and leave it in a
position of permanent disadvantage to India."

(All circulation figures are based on estimation)
Patterson